She Loves You
by LovelyandLost
Summary: "Cut the ending. Revise the script. The man of her dreams is a girl." ― Julie Anne Peters, Keeping You a Secret Turns out Leah Clearwater's imprint is a GIRL. Make no mistake Leah is NOT gay. But she's about to find out that sexuality is a sliding scale, and her scale is sliding towards Emerson.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Emerson

 **Chapter 1: Hello, Goodbye**

"One last head count before we leave guys!" Our mother Amber yelled. I supposed with eight kids a head count was necessary when traveling cross-country. She usually went oldest to youngest so I had three people before me. Our family went as follows.

"Jameson"

"Alex and Carter"

"Emerson"

"Taylor"

"Alison"

"Lilly"

"Brady"

Jameson was oldest at 22, then the twins Alex and Carter who were 19, then me at 17, Taylor at 15, Alison at 13, Lilly at 8, and Brady at 5. After everyone chorused back their here's I went back in to grab the last of Mia's things and check on her in her pack-and-play. Mia was my three month old daughter. I got pregnant at 16 by my then boyfriend, Adam, who turned out to be a dead beat dad. Needless to say my parents were furious until they came around to the fact that I was having a child whether they liked it or not. Now they were the best grandparents to Mia and I knew she would be spoiled rotten.

I picked up my daughter and covered her in feather light kisses over her face. She was the perfect blend of her father and I. Mia had my jet black wavy hair and freckles on her cheeks and her father's deep cerulean blue eyes and lighter skin tone. I was 5'2 waifish with light tanned skin, the underside of my black hair was dyed cobalt blue, and I had light freckles that dusted my cheeks and the bridge of my nose. While my daughter had her father's blue eyes, I had light green. I was half Cherokee Indian and half French American. My father was full blood Native American and my mother was bilingual in French and English. We all were fluent as a result.

We were currently getting ready to move from our sunny home in Orlando, Florida to rainy Forks, Washington where our dad would take over the trauma center at Forks General Hospital working side by side with the world renowned Dr. Carlisle Cullen. It was a great pay raise for my dad, despite Forks being a small town. My mom would be taking over the French teaching position at the local high school. Go Spartans.

I buckled Mia into her car seat between Lilly and Brady. We all piled into the minivan. Dad driving, mom in the passenger seat, Brady, Mia, Lilly in the middle, me, Taylor, and Alison in the row behind them, and Jameson, Alex, and Carter in the very back. I set Mia's diaper bag under my feet and set in for a long ride.

By our last stop in Port Angeles before we reached Forks all of us were ready to kill each other. Lilly got car sick, Taylor and Alison fought the whole way over the one IPod because one of them forget to grab hers out of the box in the U-Haul behind us, Alex and Carter were loud and obnoxious (as per usual) and Jameson was getting irate because Mia had been screaming the whole way. I wanted to pull my hair out when I got out to change Mia's diaper and grab something to drink. My mom came up with a sympathetic smile, "I'll go take care of this princess and you go grab something for yourself sweetheart." I smiled gratefully and made my way into the gas station we had stopped at. I was busy piling my hair into a bun on the top of my head when I ran straight into another body. I stumbled slightly and heard a female voice mumble, "Are you okay?" I looked up and saw four long scars. They were the first thing you noticed when you looked at this woman, they started at her hair line on the left side and went down her face and ended at her left wrist. She tried to smile but the scars caused her to only be able to lift the right side of her mouth so it looked more like a grimace. But she had the kindest brown eyes, dark espresso skin and shiny straight black hair. I shook myself out of my thoughts and took her outreached hand to pull myself up from where I fell on impact. "It's okay, I wasn't paying attention. It's been a long day." She laughed and nodded, "I know what you mean. I'm with my cousin and some friends to shop for baby clothes." It was then that I noticed her belly, it was huge. She had to be at least seven months pregnant. I smiled; being pregnant with Mia had been amazing. "How far along are you?"

She rubbed her stomach lovingly and tilted her head, "This week makes eight months. I'm looking forward to meeting my baby boy."

"So you're having a boy? Have you picked out a name yet?" We had moved out of the door way and were talking on the sidewalk by the ice. She bobbed her head excitedly, "We're naming him Eli, after my husband's family. I'm Emily." She flashed me her modest ring proudly. I was jealous, she got to go through her pregnancy with a loving husband when I had to go through mine alone. I wasn't bitter or anything. "I'm Emerson…" Just then Taylor came over with Mia propped onto her hip. Mia's face was scrunched up and she was whimpering. "I tried to keep her quiet and entertained. But I think she's just fussy from the car ride. I thought she might want you." I held my arms out to cradle Mia with ease. Luckily enough, motherhood had come fairly easy to me. I think it had something to do with taking care of all my younger siblings. As soon as I had her cradled in the nook of my left arm she buried her face in my side and her face relaxed. "Thank Tay, I got it from here."

Emily eyed Mia softly, "Is she yours?" I nodded and smoothed down her hair that was starting to curl on top of her head, "Yes this is Mia, she just turned three months."

"She's perfect." I smiled and thanked her. Soon another girl who looked similar to Emily came over, "Hey Em, Paul just texted me and said that we need to get back so we can get the food ready for the bonfire tonight."

"It was nice meeting you Emerson!" Emily waved goodbye. I went in to grab a coffee and water before we headed back onto the road. When I was buckling up Mia my mom came over, "I wonder what happened to that poor girls face." I had no clue but it looked like a bear had ravaged her. "She's still beautiful."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Emerson

 **Chapter 2: Here, There, and Everywhere**

We had just pasted the sign that said "Welcome to Forks!" when we pulled into our new home. Mom leaned over to look at us kids and beamed, "It has a wraparound porch, a gorgeous kitchen with stainless steel appliances, double ovens, and an island. The master bedroom, living room, and office are downstairs, and then there are six bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. Jameson and Emerson have their own rooms, Alex and Carter will share a room, Taylor and Alison will share a room, Lilly and Brady are sharing a room, and Mia has a nursery."

"I can share my room with Mia so Taylor and Alison can have their own rooms." It would be a pain in the ass but I'd do it for my sisters. Taylor shook her head, "Don't worry I can share a room with Alison I've done it my whole life and I guess I kind of like her." She smiled at Alison.

"Love you too sis." Alison stuck her tongue out at Taylor but smiled and nodded in agreement. Sometimes I really loved my sisters.

I had gotten my room set up in its teal, grey, and white theme and Mia's nursery in her brown and pink theme. My room had a grey iron bedframe and a queen sized bed against the double windows on the back wall, then two grey nightstands on either side. The closet was to the left of that and I put my grey dresser next to the door. I put my teal trunk at the end of the bed and a white rug on the side since the entire house was done in dark hardwood floors. I had three teal corkboards that covered the right wall and pictures frames surrounding them. The wall that held the door had a white bookcase and teal beanbags with a grey bamboo circular chair.

Mia's nursery was next door to my bedroom, I put her white crib up against the left wall with its light pink and brown bedding, and then a brown rocking chair sat in the corner with a pink rug underneath it. The white wood changing table was on the right wall and had a dark brown mat on it. The back wall had a circle window and I put her pink toy trunk with brown polka dots under it. I spread out her pink area rug so it covered the majority of the floor in the middle of the room.

Dinner was eaten in the new dining room just off the kitchen where we had pizza delivered. Taylor sat on her feet and smiled at our parents brightly, "I googled the area and found that we live right down from a Quileute Indian reservation, can we go check it out tomorrow?" Taylor loved history. Alex threw a piece of his leftover crust at her head, "We're not even Quileute idiot we're Cherokee."

"ALEX MICHEAL" Our mother scolded while Carter snickered. Just another night in the Ash household. We all turned in early from the long drive but not until mom talked me into taking Taylor to the beach that was located on the reservation. "Besides, Mia could use some fresh air." She had said. I think she just wanted fewer kids in the house so she could unpack easier.

After being up with Mia for most of the night Taylor came jumping on my bed early Saturday morning. I groaned and rolled over to look at my teal rhinestone alarm clock: 8:02 am. I groaned again but nevertheless threw my legs over the bed to get up and get dressed. Taylor was practically bouncing with excitement. "Thanks for taking me sissy!" I nodded, half awake, and asked Taylor, "Is Alison coming?" They were generally attached at the hip like Alex and Carter. She shook her head, "She wanted to sleep in but I think Lilly and Brady wanted to go, moms getting them dressed now." I wasn't worried about Taylor she could take care of herself, Lilly was always well behaved. It was Brady I was worried about. He was a wild child. I threw on a pair of light wash skinny jeans, a long sleeve navy shirt, and a wide red scarf that covered my neck. I slid into my red rain boots and threw my hair into a sloppy bun with tendrils framing my face. "Okay, go meet the monster's downstairs while I get Mia ready." Taylor nodded and her black sweater dress moved with her when she ran downstairs in her yellow rain boots.

Mia was already awake staring at her star and moon mobile when I peered over in her crib. "Hey baby girl, good morning. Are you ready to go to the beach?" Since it was nearing October Washington was already getting cold. Of course our parents decided to move everyone in the middle of the school year. Since I had Mia, I went to school online and got my GED. I was going to enroll online at CWU next year for Chemistry.

I bundled Mia in a yellow onesie with black leggings over top and little black booties. I slid a black hat with a white pompom on the top over her head. "There you go pretty lady, my little bumblebee." Mia giggled and clapped her hands together while I loaded her in her carrier. I lugged her downstairs to see Lilly and Brady pulling on their rain boots by the door. Brady came up and hugged my legs, looking up at me with his big brown eyes, "I'm hungry sisa." I know mom hadn't gotten around to going to the grocery store yet. I'm sure me or Jameson would have to go with her tonight. I ruffled his shaggy brown hair, "C'mon I'm sure they have a diner somewhere on the reservation." I loaded everyone into the car and Taylor climbed into the driver's seat, "Don't tell mom I'm letting you drive." I warned. She had her permit but our mother was still nervous to let her behind the wheel. Alex, Carter, and I took turns giving her driving lessons behind her back. Us siblings were a team. Taylor nodded and adjusted her rear view mirror to back out of the driveway in the minivan.

"You did well." I praised Taylor when she pulled into the parking lot on the reservation marked "Clearwater Diner" in red neon. I had Taylor get Lilly and Brady out of the car while I got Mia's brown and pink stroller out of the trunk. As soon as I heard the 'click' signaling Mia's carrier was safely in her stroller we went into the diner. It was nice, with white and black checkered floors, grey vinyl booths and black tables and chairs. It had a counter with brown wore stools you could sit on to eat. There was an old jukebox in the far corner and an old Pac-man machine. The atmosphere was very relaxed and immediately put me at ease. A soft voice called, "Welcome to Clearwater Diner sit anywhere you'd like and someone will be right with you." The place was packed for a Saturday morning and we found the last booth on the very end. I had Taylor sit with Lilly on one side and had Brady on the inside by me so I could tend to Mia on the end. A man came up and smiled at all of us. He had the same skin tone that Emily had, it made me wonder if she was from this reservation too. He had short brown hair that still managed to fall in his eyes, a wide smile, and big brown eyes that sparkled with happiness. He was adorable. "Hey I'm Seth what can I get you guys?" He looked down at Mia and pulled a funny face to make her giggle, it made me like him instantly. I liked people who were good with kids. Taylor ordered pancakes, and I got Lilly and Brady the same, while I scanned the menu for something easy. "Do you have any vegetarian options besides pancakes?" Seth furrowed his eyebrows. "You're a vegetarian?" I shrugged and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, "I'd like to minimize the number of deaths I'm responsible for."

Seth smiled and threw his head back laughing, "Oh man, my sister would get a kick out of you!" I raised my eyebrow, "Why?" He started backpedaling, "I mean she doesn't like the activist type, she thinks they're all weird tree hugging people." I crossed my arms, it wasn't the first time I'd heard something along these lines. Everyone thought that since I was a vegetarian, I was automatically a freak. I liked to eat organics and use green products, what was so wrong about that? I liked the all-natural approach for me and my daughter. "Are you always this rude or am I special?" I asked bluntly. I was too damn tired for this. Seth shook his head, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you or nothing, my sister is pretty well….bitchy so I guess I lost the tiny voice in my head that tells you when you shouldn't say something. I'll go get my mom and see if she can help you." He sent me a redeeming smile and went back into the kitchen. Taylor threw a balled up napkin at me and stuck her tongue out playfully, "Why do you always have to be so difficult?"

No sooner had he left an older woman in an apron approached our table. "Hi I'm Sue, Seth's mother, he tells me you're a vegetarian?" She asked kindly. She had the same skin, eyes, and hair as her son but she had a few grey hairs and laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. I nodded

"Well how about I whip up some egg whites with tomatoes?" She was very motherly and reached out for Mia to grab her finger, "Is she yours?" I tucked the blanket in her carrier tighter around her since it was chilly in the diner, "Yes ma'am, she's three months old. Say hi Mia." Mia smiled in return and tried to stick Sue's finger in her mouth. Sue smiled and let Mia slobber on her, "I've raised two kids myself. I have a 21 year old daughter as well as Seth here who is 16." Seth groaned and moved away from his mother's hand when she tried to ruffle it. I laughed lightly; if I ever had another kid I wanted a boy. Seth looked older then sixteen, even if he had a childlike face, he was at least 6'2 with a muscled physique. I repeat: He is adorable. I bet his sister was gorgeous. After I thanked her, Sue went back into the kitchen to work. Slowly more people walked in and there was a line to sit down. When Seth brought out our food I knew why. It was amazing, Taylor moaned in delight when she started in on her pancakes. Sue was an amazing cook. I heard her yell to her son, "Call your sister and have her come in, I know it's her day off but we're slammed and Emily is pregnant so I don't want her on her feet." I looked over in interest, maybe this Emily was the Emily I met. I might have to track her down, she seemed nice and it would be nice to have a friend around here. After we were finished and Seth dropped off our check I went up to pay. "Can you watch them for a minute?" Taylor nodded while I slid out of the booth. When I reached the counter I heard Seth ask someone to come man the register. The girl that came over was beautiful; this had to be Sue's daughter. She was tall, at least 5'10, with curves for days that resulted in an hour glass figure. She had dark black hair; it was so black it looked like it had purple woven through. It fell a little below her ears and flipped out to give her a sassy look. Bangs fell into her eyes and her eyes were big and chocolate brown framed with long lashes. Her skin was russet colored like her family but it was blemish free and looked soft like Mia's. I swear if I were into girls, she'd be the first on my list. She had on the same apron that her mother and brother wore paired with dark flare jeans with black chucks and an old concert tee. She had a scowl on her face when she finally got to the register and she yanked the ticket from my outreached hand. "It'll be 16.50." She didn't even look up as she talked to me; she just held a bored look and kept her focus on the register. "Hold on I might have 50 cents..." I dug through my wallet that I grabbed from my diaper bag and gave her two quarters. My hand brushed against hers when I set the change in her palm. She did look up at me then and everything stopped. Her eyes got wide and her whole body went rigid. She seemed to not notice that her hand had slowly begun to wind around mine so our fingers were interlaced, change forgotten. Her body started to relax and her gazed softened. She gazed at me adoringly and confused. I blinked and yanked my hand from hers when she looked down. I pulled out a twenty dollar bill, "Keep the change." I started to turn back when I heard her voice; it was soft and a little rough. It sounded feminine but also like she smoked two packs a day. It was a bedroom voice. "I'm Leah."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Leah

 **Chapter 3: I Saw Her Standing There**

I groaned when I heard my phone vibrating against my nightstand. It was supposed to be my day off. Why was someone calling me at, I peered at the clock over my pillow, 9:30 in the morning? This was my first day off since I phased. Everything had finally calmed down. Sam and Emily were married and expecting a baby boy, Sam had finally accepted that there were two packs now, Claire was 8 now and giving Quil a run for his money, most importantly the battle with the newborn leeches was over and Jacob had imprinted on Bella's sister Abby-Lynn. At least now I didn't have to hear my alpha whine about Bella fucking Swan anymore. It was an adjustment for all of us, but at least he was happy now. I wish I was. Paul imprinted on Megan, Sam had Emily, Quil had Claire, Jake had Abby, Jared had Lucy and Embry had Scarlet. Imprinting was supposed to be rare, but now the only wolves who weren't imprinted were me, Seth, Collin, Brady, and Nathan. Nathan being the newest wolf that phased when Nessie was born.

No one was even sure if I could imprint, I was the only female wolf in history. I was an anomaly. We knew I couldn't have kids, so what was the point? Wasn't the point of imprinting to carry on the wolf gene? It was about finding mates with the best genes to reproduce with. Despite what every imprinted wolf thinks, they all focus on the soulmate aspect. I thought it was bullshit. At least reproducing made sense, love didn't. I fell in love once and where did it get me? Absolutely nofuckingwhere. Love is good for nothing.

I sighed when I saw my little brother's name flash across the screen. I loved Seth, I did, and I was fiercely protective of him but I also wanted to strangle him half the time. I slid the green button over on my IPhone and held it to my ear, "What do you want Seth?"

"Well go morning to you too sis. I know it's your day off but the diner is packed and mom needs your help." A few months ago our mother Sue opened up a 24 hour diner here on the reservation. It was the only one here so it was pretty much always packed. That meant when Seth and I weren't patrolling we were working at the diner. "Fine let me get dressed and I'll head over." I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. I threw on a pair of dark wash jeans, my black chucks, and my old 'Sleeping with Sirens' concert T-shirt. Straightening my hair in record time I was out the door in ten minutes with my silver Chevy truck keys in hand.

I walked into the diner and grabbed a red apron that was hanging by the door and went back in the kitchen to help my mom. She was in front of the stove cooking egg whites. I snorted, "Since when do we fix egg whites?" She looked up at me and smiled softly. I went over to kiss her cheek. I loved my mom and she was never the same after our dad died. She became quieter, softer, and meeker. But I think Charlie was bringing her out of the shell she put herself in, I still couldn't believe she was dating the Chief of Police of Forks but as long as he made her happy.

"There's a vegetarian costumer and I think she's new in town, I've never seen her. So I thought I'd do something nice."

I rolled my eyes, great a tree hugging freak was moving into town. There was nothing wrong with meat, fucking pansies. "You're too nice mom." I went and waited tables, cleaned dishes, and manned the register. I noticed a young girl with four kids, Jesus fucking Christ. She had to be younger than me even if I could only see her side profile. One was older, maybe fifteen, so I imagine that would be her sister versus her daughter. But the three others were younger so it was anyone's guess. I shuttered, I didn't like kids and they didn't like me. I wasn't very disappointed to hear from Sam that it was probably impossible for me to conceive. One of the many fights Sam and I always had was the fact that he wanted kids and I didn't. I never saw the appeal, kids were expensive, they screamed, cried, and pooped. Then after eighteen years of taking care of them they just left and some never looked back. I shook my head and got back to work.

"Leah can you go to the register?" Mom shouted from behind the counter in the kitchen. I hated the register and waitressing; it meant I actually had to interact with other people and Lord knows I wasn't a people person. Regardless, I went behind the register and grabbed the ticket out of an outreached hand without looking up. The whole affair was incredibly boring and I couldn't help but let that show on my face. "It'll be 16.50"

"I think I have 50 cents." A soft voice chimed. It was slightly higher pitched, almost melodic. It reminded of the leech, Alice's, voice. She pulled out two quarters and set them in my waiting hand. I felt her soft skin brush against mine and it sent a shock up my arm and down my body. I couldn't help but look up at her then, and I was fucked. Well and truly fucked. As soon as I locked eyes with her light green ones my world shifted. My purpose in life shifted, the world no longer held me to the ground but she did. She became the center of my very existence and I didn't even know her name. I wound my hand around hers, completely forgetting the two quarters that fell on the counter, and smiled softly. Her skin was slightly tanned, like coffee with lots of milk. I scanned her face; she was drop dead gorgeous, long wavy black hair with blue underneath. She had the lightest green eyes I'd ever seen, they were pastel and big. Her mouth was the perfect cupids bow and her cheeks where slightly red and she had freckles covering her cheeks and nose. She had both her ears pierced all the way up and when she opened her mouth slightly I saw a flash of metal. Holy. Fuck. Her tongue was pierced and I held back a moan when heat immediately spread to the inside of my thighs. I couldn't help the image that flashed in my mind, her going down on me. Her tongue flicking my clit and that damn barbell hitting all the right places while she ate me out. I was so fucked. When she pulled her hand away from mine it snapped me back into reality. Say something you idiot, don't just let her walk away!

"I'm Leah…" I blurted out before she could turn away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: EPOV**

"Um..Hi I'm Emerson." I was still slightly dazed, though I couldn't figure out why. She was just a girl. Nevertheless Leah smiled brightly, "Nice to meet you. I haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move here?" I nodded silently. Before either of us could say anything else I heard wailing. Any mother can decipher their child's cry from others and I knew immediately that it was my baby crying. "I have to go." I threw a smile over my shoulder and made my way back to the table where Tay was trying to get Mia to stop crying, no doubt embarrassed by the other costumer's stares. Brady and Lilly were getting restless. Brady then proceeded to get out of the booth and run around the diner while Lilly slid and sat under the table. Taylor looked mortified.

"Here grab the bottle out of my diaper bag and feed Mia." I pleaded desperately with my sister. I don't know how to feed a baby!" She exclaimed nervously. I gave her a pleading look and she grabbed Mia and the bottle I was giving her wordlessly. After I made sure Taylor was feeding Mia correctly and that Lilly was okay I went in search of Brady. He had grabbed a cloth napkin off a nearby table and was running around with it over his head. Jesus, we were going to get kicked out. Sue came out from the kitchen with Seth at her heels. Seth looked amused and laughed at my little brother; Sue looked sympathetic and grabbed him before he could reach the kitchen. She gripped him in an iron hold I wouldn't have expected given her age.

"Hold it right there, where you think you're going?" She gave him a stern look. He looked down at his feet and kicked the floor, "I wanted to be Superman." He mumbled. Seth barked out a laugh and shook his head before kneeling in front of him.

"Who wants to be Superman when you can be Clark Kent? How cool is it to have a secret identity?" Brady beamed, I figured it was time I intervened.

"I am so sorry about him, really. We were just leaving." I tried to look apologetic but I'm sure I just looked exhausted. Sue waved me off, "I understand dear. Seth loved to run around naked with a cowboy hat." Seth blushed bright red.

After that fiasco I rounded everyone up into the parking lot so we could go to the beach. It wasn't warm enough to swim, but Lily and Brady could play in the sand while Taylor went exploring.

When we pulled up to the beach I unloaded the gang. I propped Mia on my hip with the diaper bag hoisted on my shoulder. I grabbed the little ones sand toys and looked over at Taylor, "Don't go too far okay? Keep your cell on you." She rolled her eyes, "Yes mom…" She sprinted off.

I had Lily on one side and Brady on the other while we found a good spot in the sand by the water. I set down the toys and let them play. I set the diaper bag beside them and went the few feet it took to let the cold water hit my feet with Mia. I closed my eyes and let the salty breeze hit my face and I heard Mia giggle. Maybe this move wouldn't be such a bad thing, La Push was beautiful. My momentary bliss was interrupted by an excited voice, "Emerson?" I turned around, pulling Mia higher on my hip, and spotted Emily with two other girls. I smiled and met her half way, being sure to keep an eye on Lilly and Brady. "Hey Emily, how are you?" She came up to hug me on the side that didn't hold my daughter, "I'm good, what are you doing here?"

I explained how my fifteen year old sister wanted to check out the beach on the reservation, "She loves history." Emily nodded her understanding. She introduced me to the two girls with her, Marley and Megan. "It's nice to meet you both." After a few more minutes of small talk Emily invited me over for dinner. "A bunch of us are getting together, you and Mia should come. It'll be fun." I considered her offer, I would have enough time to drop Taylor, Brady, and Lily off, shower and change before coming back.

"Sure that sounds like fun."

After two hours at the beach, I started packing everything back up so the kids could eat lunch. I checked my phone _12:15_ Emily said to be at her house at four so we could hang out before everything came over. I had plenty of time. On the way home Taylor babbled about all of the cool things she found while exploring, how she couldn't wait to come back. "Don't forget to leave your sandy boots at the door or mom will kill us." I warned when we reached the porch.

"Hey mom" I called out. It looked like she'd gotten the kitchen and living room unpacked. She came out of the kitchen drying her hands, "Hey kids, do you guys have fun?" Lily and Brady nodded excitedly and I went upstairs while Taylor rambled on about today.

"Sweet Mia..." I squeezed water out of the wash cloth over her head. Mia loved the water; bath time was always her favorite part of the day. I couldn't wait for it to warm up so we could go swimming at the beach. An unwanted picture formed in my mind, Leah at the beach with us. Her and I taking turns holding Mia in the water. Mia clinging to Leah in delight.

What the fuck? I shook my head and wrapped Mia up in a towel and got her dressed in a long sleeved navy dress with white tights and white socks. Putting a navy headband with a flower over her head I set her in her crib for a short nap while I got ready. I had three hours so I didn't feel bad curling up on my teal comforter to take a cat nap.

My alarm woke me up at three and I groggily walked into the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. I straightened my hair and put on foundation and power before focusing on my eyes. I decided natural was my best bet. I lined my eyes with brown eyeliner and shaded my eyelids with brown, tan, and white eyeshadow. I put on some light pink lip gloss and smiled slightly at my reflection. Not bad. I walked into my closet to get dressed. I decided on dark skinny jeans, knee high white socks and brown boots. I slipped a moss green sweater over my head and twisted a white scarf around my neck. I went into the nursery to grab my daughter. She was still sleeping peacefully and I grabbed gently so as not to wake her up. Gently resting her head on my shoulder I went downstairs. Alison and Taylor were playing 'Miss Mary Mack', Jameson was taking a nap in the arm chair in the corner, Alex and Carter were playing video games, and I guessed Lily and Brady were taking a nap. Alex turned the TV down when he saw Mia was still asleep. I think out of everyone Alex and I were closest. He was super tight with his twin sure, but he and I just understood each other. He was also a great uncle to Mia, by far the most attentive.

"Hey mom I'm going out, I'm taking Mia with me so don't worry about watching her." Mom smiled over at me, I had told her earlier someone on the reservation invited me for dinner. Since becoming a mother, my own mom trusted my judgment. I wasn't a normal seventeen year old anymore. "Have fun sweetheart, don't forget Mia's bouncy seat." I smiled gratefully at my mom for remembering and grabbed it from the living room on my way out the door.

Following Emily's instructions was fairly easy and I arrived in front of a small red house. It had a faded white porch and wind chimes hanging. There were three cars parked outside and I grabbed Mia, approaching the door nervously. Emily opened the door and ushered me in. The house was small, but cozy. As soon as you walked into the house the kitchen was to the left, the living room with a sliding back door facing the woods on the right and a tiny hallway straight back. It immediately put me at ease. "Come meet the gang."

Abby-Lynn was pale with pink pink strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and a nose ring. Megan had dark black hair like Emily but curly with different colors dyed in, coffee colored skin, bright hazel eyes, and several tattoos and piercings. Scarlet had flaming red hair, very fair skin, dark green eyes, and a slight gap between her two front teeth. The last girl Lucy was cradling a baby in her arms. Lucy was tanned with platinum blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and an uneven smile. Her baby had the same big blue eyes like Mia's and her mother's blonde hair. But her skin was a darker tan, I'm assuming from the father. Everyone introduced themselves and I sat next to Lucy so our kids could get to know each other. I smiled down at the interaction, "How old is she?"

Lucy blew a raspberry on her daughter's cheek, "Bethany just turned six months. My husband, Jared, doesn't know what to do with her. He's afraid he'll break her." She laughed easily.

Abby slapped her hand down on the table, "That is exactly what Jake is afraid of, I'm like, I get you're strong but babies are more sturdy than he thinks." I looked over at her, she had a tiny bump but I wouldn't have thought her pregnant. Abby caught my staring and laughed, "I'm only two months, so this peanut is still small." She patted her belly. "Does anyone else have any kids?" Megan raised her hand, "Sadly, I have a rowdy two year old boy at home. I swear Lucas is going to be the death of me. His dad, Paul, is bringing him over when he gets here." I giggled at Megan's exasperated look. I only knew too well how tiring kids could be. This group of girls was amazing. They were funny and kind; they always included me in their conversations and asked me questions about myself.

"How old are you? If you don't mind me asking?" Scarlet was holding Mia and bouncing her on her knee. I had found out Scarlet was only two years older than me at 19, Emily was 24, Megan was 23, Abby was 20, and Lucy was 23. "I'm 17; I got pregnant with Mia at 16. I got my GED." I shrugged, it is what it is. Scarlet smiled at me, "Finally, I was tired of being the youngest." Marley shook her head. Emily looked out the window, "Looks like the guys just got off work." A peeked over and saw a bunch of tall, very muscular men making their way across the front yard. When they reached the door, you could hear them laughing and talking over each other. Immediately upon entering, they each went to their significant other. Megan was kind enough to introduce each man as someone pulled her onto his lap. "This is my husband Paul, over there is Abby's fiancée Jacob, then Emily's husband Sam, Lucy's husband Jared, and Scarlet's boyfriend Embry," then came bursting in a happy little girl with long black hair and the biggest smile. Emily giggled and picked the little girl up, "This is my niece Claire." A man came bursting through the door, and took the little girl from Emily. He noticed me sitting in the corner and smiled at me, "I'm Quil."

Abby looked around, "Where's Leah and Seth? I know Collin, Brady, and Nathan are still at work." Emily, "Sue won't let me work because apparently being pregnant means I'm handicapped. So I imagine they're still at the diner." Sam wound his arms around his wife and rubbed her swollen belly, "You are going to be handicapped, no heavy lifting, and no long hours on your feet, nothing that will put added stress on your body. My son is in there." I smiled at the happy couple. It made my heart break just a little bit; I wanted a man to care for me like Sam so obviously cared for Emily. I wanted Mia to have a father. Scarlet had sense passed my daughter on to her boyfriend Embry. The poor man looked so out of place and held her out at arm's length. Scarlet shook her head, "You are hopeless. Consider this practice." He handed my daughter back to me very carefully, like he was passing on a bomb. I giggled and easily took Mia back and put her in her bouncy seat at my feet.

"Sorry we're late guys, mom got held up at the diner." I recognized Seth bounding through the door. He looked around and his gaze landed on me. He smiled easily, "Hey I know you! You were at the diner this morning." I nodded. He looked confused, "What are you doing here?" Emily explained that we had met in Port Angeles and then again at First Beach.

"I'm Emerson…" Then another body squeezed by Seth and I'm sure I stopped breathing for a few seconds. Leah.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Twist and Shout LPOV**

This cannot be happening. This absolutely cannot be happening. She's a _girl._ I've dated men my whole life and now the Spirits have decided I'm destined to be with a _girl._ The Spirits have a fucked up sense of humor. We weren't even sure I could imprint and now I imprinted on a girl, what was I supposed to tell Jake? Oh God, how are the guys going to react? I've dated men my whole life. What the fuck is going on here? How was I supposed to ever phase again without the guys finding out my dirty little secret. I checked my phone; I was supposed to be at Emily's at five for the weekly pack dinner. It was a little past five now since the dinner rush at the diner lasted longer than normal. I called over my shoulder to my baby brother, "Are you coming or what?" He discarded his apron and climbed into my truck. "What crawled up your ass and died? You're even more irritable than normal." I hit him on the back of the head, "Nothing, mind your own damn business." I growled.

The ride to Emily's could not have ended soon enough since Seth badgered me with questions the entire way, none of which I answered. "Something's up with you..." Seth grumbled getting out of the truck. I rolled my eyes and followed him inside.

Fuck. Damn. Shit. What the hell was she doing here? This was supposed to be a pack dinner. I haven't phased so I know no one knew of my imprinting, so she couldn't be here for that. What the fuck had my life been reduced to? She was going to ruin my life. This gorgeous woman with the pierced tongue was going to ruin me. I growled in frustration and snapped out, "What the fuck is she doing here?" I didn't mean the words that came out of my life but damn, I didn't want to be bound to another woman. I wasn't gay. Fuck you Spirits. Fuck you for taking away my own free will, for taking away my choice. I knew I would never want anyone but her ever again. She was it for me. And damn it if I wasn't happy and pissed off at that fact.

"Leah!" Emily cried out, "Don't be rude, I invited her." Great, so now my cousin was trying to ruin my life too. Emerson looked down at the small child in her lap, the child that looked just like her. Well fuck, to top it off my imprint had a child. Something I had never wanted. FUCK. I then noticed that she looked hurt, I'm a bitch and I had never realized that as much as I did in this moment.

Don't go over there. Don't comfort her. Don't. Don't you dare Leah Marie Clearwater. Turn away. Leave. Right. Now.

Even as my inner monologue continued, my body didn't listen. Before I knew it I was crouched down in front of her in my grungy T-shirt and jeans. Damn, she was truly stunning. The green sweater she was wearing complimented her eyes perfectly. I looked down at the little girl in her arms and she giggled. The tiny human reached out to tug on my hair. She didn't have any teeth; all I could see were her gums as she smiled. I pulled back before she could grab a chunk of my hair. How the hell was I supposed to put up with a kid for the rest of my life? Stupid tiny humans. Emerson looked up at me from her long lashes confused. She tucked a piece of her straightened hair behind her ear and bit her lip. I was acutely aware that no one was talking, all noises stopped when I moved in front of her. I cleared my throat, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me." I couldn't resist the urge to tuck the piece of hair that had fallen back in front of her face. Her eyes were wide and her body frozen, it slowly melted as I ran my finger down the side of her face. My heightened hearing caught her small contented sigh as she subconsciously leaned into my touch. I was so fucked.

Our bubble was popped when Jake yanked me up by the back of my shirt, "Can I see you outside for a minute?" He didn't sound mad, but his voice was restrained and his face tight.

"Mind telling me what the hell all that was about? You were acting like I do with Abby." Jake ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "What's gotten into you? You hate everyone." I winced. Just because it was true didn't mean I liked hearing it from my alpha. I just looked at the ground, waiting for him to put two and two together. A few heartbeats later, he laughed. Not just a few chuckles, but a full blown laugh that had him tilting his head back and grabbing his stomach. "You're acting like I do with Abby. Oh this is too good. You fucking imprinted on that girl in there. That is rich. Way to go Spirits." I glowered.

He finally stopped laughing and looked at me, "Does this mean you're gay now?" I tried to calm the ripples of rage that went down my spine. I was trying not to phase and rip his stupid head off, alpha be damned. "No, I'm not fucking gay. There are all kinds of imprints. We are their friends, protectors, and lovers. Obviously I'm only meant to be her friend, it's not like we'd be able to carry on the wolf gene anyway."

Jake shrugged, "Not necessarily, there is always sperm donors and if you carried the child, there's a chance that your wolf gene would be passed down."

I crossed my arms, "Can you honestly see me ever being pregnant?" Jake nodded, "Good point, but the Spirits haven't been wrong yet." He patted my back and headed back inside. How was I supposed to go inside and act like everything was fine? Nothing was fine; nothing would ever be fine again.

Dejectedly, I headed back inside. I stood in the doorway and watched Emerson. She was laughing with Lucy, their kids playing in Lucas's playpen. Emerson threw her head back and covered her mouth with her hand. I could hear snort lightly and I couldn't help but smile. It was cute. But Lucy placed a hand on Emerson's shoulder and I was overwhelmed with this sense to throw Lucy's arm away and enclose Emerson in my arms, my body being the only thing that could touch her. I was possessed with the thought that she was _mine._ It was irrational and I tried very hard to repress it. I shook my head and walked back into the kitchen. Emily had just finished cooking and was setting the food on the table buffet style. I set across from Emerson; she looked up at me and smiled at me attentively.

It turned out that Emerson was funny, she was one out of eight kids and she regaled us with stories of her family. She was also sweet, checking on Lucas as well as her own child. When someone was talking to her she gave them her undivided attention. She was great at multi-tasking, feeding her daughter while talking to the people around her. I did notice that she wasn't eating, the child had become fussy and she was busy taking care of her and both her hands were occupied with the child. She wasn't taking care of herself, she was on the thin side and I imagine the baby took up most of her time. Leaving little room for her to eat and take care of herself. I was talking before I was thinking, "I can take her so you can eat Emerson." It felt so good to hear her name fall out of my mouth. It rolled off my tongue effortlessly; it was the only name I wanted to say for the rest of my life. She looked unsure, probably sensing my aversion to kids. In the end she nodded and walked around to put the baby in my arms. "Her name is Mia; she's a pretty easy baby." She said softly. No sooner had the words fallen out of my imprints mouth, the baby started crying. Lucy looked over at me, "You know they can sense when your tense. If you're nervous and tense, the baby becomes nervous and tense."

"Thank you for your input." I snapped, only for Jared to glare at me. Emerson laughed, "She probably just wants something to suckle. Here give me your pinky." She grabbed my hand with soft hands and placed my pinky finger in the tiny human's mouth. Mia immediately quieted and wrapped both tiny hands around my fingers. Her eyes were bright and she gave a contented sigh.

"Wow…" I sighed. I don't think I've ever held a baby in my life. I don't remember holding Seth when he was baby, and I always declined when Lucy offered me Lucas. Now here I was, holding this tiny child in my arms.

Emerson smiled, "She's pretty great huh?" You could very obviously hear the love she held for her daughter. I nodded mutely, enthralled with Mia. She was beautiful, soft, and squishy. Suddenly I could see Mia running around with another child, Emerson looking down fondly at the two rowdy children, our children, while she rubbed a hand over her swollen belly. Her pregnant with my child. Jesus Christ. What was happening to me?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Emerson

Chapter 6: Nowhere Man EPOV

She was a devil, a very beautiful devil. She was too close to me. I could feel her breath hit my face, it smelled of spearmint. Maybe from her toothpaste? Her lips were moving but I wasn't entirely sure what she was saying. She was too close to function. Yep, she was a she-devil. I wasn't attracted to girls; that was Taylor's department. Taylor had known she was into girls her own life. When she was six she tried to kiss her friend Laylah on the playground. She said she preferred girls because they were softer, more beautiful, and more sensual. Plus, she always joked that she had a phobia of penises. Alison was bisexual; she was attracted to girls and boys. She'd been crushing on both genders since she was eight. It didn't matter that they were young, Alison was thirteen and she already knew. Taylor was fifteen and she already knew. If I was gay I would have known by now right? I mean we all thought Carter was straight until he brought home another boy and introduced him as his boyfriend. My family wasn't homophobic, they weren't close minded. Three out of their eight kids were either gay or bisexual; my parents took it all in stride. But I had a daughter, a beautiful daughter I had made with a man. I liked the sex with Adam, it wasn't anything to write home about, but I didn't hate it. Now her was this girl was, holding my daughter, and I was overcome with emotion. Emotions that didn't make any sense. Taylor always said, "If you're a girl and you don't have any level of girl crushes on a girl, you're just fucking lying to yourself." The way she explained it to our family when she came out was this: There are three levels of girl crushes.

Level 1 "I love you" meaning I want to be friends with you, I want to hang out with you,

Level 2 "I love you a lot" meaning I want to be you, I want your life, I want all that you have

Level 3 "Scissor Me Timbers" meaning if you wanted me you could have me, if you invited me to run away with you I would do it, let me pack a bag and we can be on our way, we could make a scissor sandwich!

Obviously my sister described that she fell into Level 3, she was well aware that she would one day run away with a girl, get married, have kids, the whole enchilada. That thought had never crossed my mind, at least not until I saw Leah holding my daughter. You could tell she'd never held a baby before in her life but the way she looked at Mia was so adorable. She looked so amazed. "She's pretty great huh?" I couldn't help but smile.

Leah and I were sitting on the front porch, I went outside to light a cigarette while Mia played with Lucas and the rest of the girls ate dessert with the guys. Leah had come out to sit with me on the porch swing. I was sitting with my knees tucked into my chest, one hand holding my legs in place, the other holding on my cigarette. "Mind if I join you?" I nodded and she sat down.

"Do you not like sweets?" She pulled out her own pack of Marlboros from her back pocket and searched for a lighter.

I snorted. "I love sour candy, twizzlers, jolly ranchers, I'm a sugar freak, but I'm allergic to chocolate." I explained. I handed her my black lighter. It had 'everyone doesn't something to take away the pain' written in white sharpie on it. I'd kept the same lighter since I started smoking at fifteen. I just kept refilling it. She read the lighter silently and let her cigarette, she didn't speak until released her first cloud of smoke. "You're not all sunshine and rainbows are you?"

"No…"

"Good, I'm not either. I couldn't be friends with someone who is." Leah smirked and bumped her shoulder with mine. I giggled, "So we're friends now?" She shrugged and took another drag. "If you want to be." Somehow, in that moment, all I wanted to do was kiss her. I didn't know how to process that thought. Maybe if I was friends with her it would take the edge off. That had to be it right? I just wanted to be friends with her. Nothing weird about that. Of course, I wouldn't mind making out with her either. I was so fucked and she didn't even know it.

"We can be friends."

I went home a while after that and crept in the house with a sleeping Mia. I went upstairs, changed her in new pajamas and a fresh diaper, before I laid her back down and went into Taylor's room. The light was on under her door, "Knock…knock…" I whispered. Everyone else was either asleep or in their own room since it was nine o'clock, I had lost track of time at Emily's. They were such a great group of people, the girls especially. "Come in…" I heard my sister's voice and found her laying on her stomach on her bed reading. She looked over at me and smiled, "Hey you okay?" I went in, took my shoes off, and lay on my stomach next to her. Taking her hand in mine, "How did you know you liked girls?" Taylor looked at me oddly but got a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, I guess I realized I liked girls because I was never attracted to boys. I never wanted to kiss him or date them. Sure, I thought they were cute but there was no other attraction. I thought got the thought 'oh I'd like to make out with them'. Why are you asking?" I bit my lip and chewed on it nervously, I never kept anything from my sisters, especially Tay, but I wasn't even sure why I was asking. "Well there's this girl, her name's Leah and…" I trailed off. And what? I didn't know how I felt towards her. Damn I was a mother and I realized I was still grappling with my feelings like a stupid teenager, even if I was still technically a teenager. I was turning eighteen in two weeks. My birthday was on Halloween.

"I think we need Ali, come on…" So we both walked across the hall to Alison's room. Taylor just barged in, not bothering to knock. "We have a problem." She announced. Alison took her headphones out and sat up cross-legged on the floor. "Okay, what's up?"

Taylor pointed me in my side, "Em thinks she might have a crush on a girl." I yelped, "Hey! I never said that, I said there was a girl." Taylor rolled her eyes, "Oh please you didn't have to say anything, it was written all over your face." She crossed her arms. Alison raised her eyebrows at us. She was the more serious one out of her and Taylor. "Who's this girl?" So Taylor and I went to sit down on either side of Ali and I told them everything. How I was attracted to her, even the weird moment at Emily's when she pushed my hair behind my ear. Alison looked thoughtful, "You're looking at this all wrong Em."

"What do you mean?" I was clutching my knees to my chest, my default position. She shook her head, "You're assuming that people are gay, straight, or bisexual. That those are the only two options. You have transsexuals, transgender, pansexual, asexual, demi sexual, and the list goes on and on. Some people believe in, others don't. My point is, sexuality is fluid. It's not set in stone, it's a sliding scale. You can be straight your whole life and then meet a girl that you want to be with in a romantical sense. Your scale might just be sliding towards this Leah girl. You just have to let things happen Em." I was stunned at my little sister's speech. Since when did she become so grown up? Jeez.

That night, after I had talked with my sisters for a little bit, I sat in bed looking at the ceiling. I couldn't help but think of Leah and everything Ali had said. Maybe I was straight and Leah was my exception. My thoughts were interrupted with Mia's cry. Dragging my way to pick up my daughter I planted both her and myself in the rocking chair, hoping to lull her back to sleep. I gave her a bottle that I had in the bottle warmer by the rocking chair and rocked her. My thoughts wandered to Leah, is she would ever be here to do this. If she could fit in my life somewhere as more than friends.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **Chapter 7: Here Comes The Sun LPOV**

The sight of her pink little mouth wrapped around her cigarette made me want to tackle her and kiss her until she was begging me for more. I was going to be her friend. But damn if I didn't want her to want me as much as I seemed to want her. I knew all the guys were sexually attracted to their imprint; they had to be if they were to carry on the wolf gene. But my being sexually attracted to Emerson didn't make any damn sense. We'd never have kids, never carry on the gene, so why the fuck did I want her pregnant so fucking badly? Why did I want her in my bed, screaming my name while I watched her shatter into a million pieces? Why the fuck did her mouth do weird things to my body? Fuck, this imprint made no fucking sense. I wanted her but I was also adamant about never crossing that line with another girl. My head felt like it was going to explode.

I was running patrols with Jacob, he agreed to keep me away from the rest of the pack until I was ready to tell all of them about Emerson, I think Emily suspected. At one point Emily knew me better than anyone else in the world. That is, until my fiancé imprinted on her, and I lost my best friend and the love of my life at the same time. It was shocking to find that thinking about Sam no longer burned, I was no longer bitter.

That's what imprinting will do to you. As soon as I accepted the imprint with Abby, Bella didn't matter anymore. Imprinting is the best thing that'll ever happen to you, but only if you let it Leah.

I knew Jacob was right; my life would only work out if I decided to accept Emerson. But even as I thought about my life with her, what it could be, how would I ever accept a life with a girl? I was supposed to grow old with Sam.

You were never supposed to be wolf, things change. Our plans rarely ever work out the way we want them to. Ask any of the imprinted wolves.

Then a whole new of worries bombarded me. Would she ever be able to accept my being a wolf? Would she be able to accept the pack for what they were? Would she take Mia and flee? Suddenly my heart hurt, not only for the idea that Emerson would leave me, but that she would take our daughter with her. Fuck. Our daughter. Mia wasn't mine, I had no place in her life. Although when I thought about tiny human with the big blue eyes, my heart swelled. I never wanted children; I never thought I'd be a good mother. But holding Mia was opening my eyes to a world that I never thought I wanted. But I was overcome with the emotion that I wanted to be in Mia's life, I wanted to watch her grow up. Damn it. I needed to remember that my imprint came with a daughter. If I accepted Emerson in my life, then I had to accept Mia too. They were a package deal. But suddenly I couldn't imagine Emerson not having Mia; she was simply an extension of my imprint. I loved Mia without even trying. If I admitted that I loved Mia, then I had to come to terms that I was slowly falling in love with Emerson too. The more time I spent with her, the more I liked her. She was reserved, but I could sense a spit fire underneath her shell. It made me want to unravel her layers and find the person underneath it all. I thought back to her lighter. Everyone does something to take away the pain. She wasn't perfect and pristine. She had a dark side; someone in her life had broken her. The thought enraged me; she didn't deserve any kind of pain.

You'll put her in pain if you choose to fight this imprint, choose to reject her. It will kill you and kill her in the process.

THANK YOU Black, for your very un-fucking-wanted opinion.

But I knew he was right.

After patrols, I threw on my gold beats, and blasted Attila: Party with the Devil. I flopped on my bed and let the music course through my veins.

666 party with the devil bitch

I was a metal head, it was the only thing Paul and I agreed on. He was more than relieved to find out that his imprint, Megan, loved metal just as much. Out of all the imprints, I got along with Megan the most. It made me wonder what music Emerson liked, what her favorite song was. There were so many things I wanted to know about her, so many things I wanted show her, and experiences I wanted to have with her.

Friend's text each other right? We exchanged numbers last night. I was debating whether or not to text Emerson. What if she was spending time with her family? What if she was busy with Mia? It was 2:45 in the morning, she was probably sleeping. All the non-imprinted wolves ran patrols at night so the imprinted wolves could stay at home with their significant others. Imprinted wolves ran patrols during the day. I patrolled from 8pm-2am with Jake and Seth, then Collin, Brady, and Nathan took over until 9am. Then Sam, Embry, Quil, Jared, and Paul worked their schedule out during the day. I didn't care enough to remember. The ones who patrolled during the day split their time between running the perimeter and working at the auto shop that Jake owned. I was thankful that Jake had given up his nights with Marley so he could patrol with me; I knew it couldn't be easy for him. He switched with Quil. It was easy for Quil to patrol at night since Claire was small enough to still go to bed early. He would put her to bed and then come meet me.

I took a chance and scrolled through my phone book and found Emerson, I clicked on the message icon and took a deep breath.

 **Hey it's Leah**

I smiled when I saw the dots appear, indicating that she was typing.

 _Hey, shouldn't you be sleeping?_ She had a point.

 **Shouldn't you?** I already knew she was on the thin side, now I was worried that not only was she not eating enough she probably wasn't sleeping enough either. I looked down and saw that she had replied.

 _I have an infant, sleep is nonexistent. I'm feeding her right now actually._ Imagines of her breasts filled my mind. Damn. I bit my lip and typed back.

 **Do you breast feed?**

 _LOL. No, she's formula fed. I couldn't breast feed since I was on autoimmune medication._

Well, fuck. My imprint had autoimmune disease. I took enough health in high school to know what that meant. Her body's immune system was attacking her body's healthy cells. I also knew that there were several different types of autoimmune diseases.

 **Which one do you have?** I was extremely worried at this point; would I lose her to a disease that has no cure? I was biting my lip. Now that I knew her, I couldn't picture her not being in my life.

 _I have Lupus_

I tried to remember what Lupus was. Instead I typed 'Lupus' into google. I hit webmd:

Lupus, an autoimmune disease, happens when the immune system attacks its tissues, causing inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage. Lupus symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, fever, and a lupus rash.

 **I'm sorry, are you okay?**

 _Yes, I'm okay. Being pregnant made my blood pressure go up, causing preeclampsia and they had to deliver Mia three weeks early._

 **Now you and Mia are okay?** It was very important to me that they both be okay.

 _Yes_

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. She was okay, her and Mia were okay. I replayed the mantra in my head. I looked down at my phone.

 _Were you worried about us?_

 **I always worry about my friends**

 _You are a conundrum Leah Clearwater_

I smirked. She thought I was a conundrum? She was my own personal hell. I yawned and replied three words before I drifted off to sleep.

 **So are you**

 **Author's Note: WHOO! Chapter 7, thank you for all the positive comments! I'm so glad you guys are liking this story so far. Looks like Leah might be coming around? Friends is a start at least. As always I own nothing but my own characters. I just like to play with Stephanie Meyer's. xoxo Lottie**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: I Want To Hold Your Hand EPOV**

Texting Leah had been a surprisingly nice thing. It made staying up with Mia a little bit easier. It had been a few weeks since I last talked to her. I helped mom set up the few remaining things in the house, helped my younger siblings with homework, and gossiped with Carter about the new boy he had his eye on in school. I was curled up in the den with Carter, Alex, and Jameson while the rest of the house slept. I had out Mia down a few minutes ago for a nap, and everyone else was sleeping in this Saturday morning.

"His name is Alec; he has the dreamiest blue eyes and the darkest black hair. He's a total babe. He's got this whole bad boy aura about him, covered in tattoos with a lip ring and eyebrow piercing." Carter gushed. Alex snickered and Jameson tried not to laugh.

"Dude calm down, I bet you haven't even said two words to him." Jameson smirked while Alex laughed while nodding. The guys always loved teasing Carter; he fell in love more often than Aphrodite. Or so I would think. I just sipped my tea, happy to be surrounded by my family. My phone chimed in my hoodie pocket.

1 Message Leah

Hey do you want to hang out today?

"Hey it must be that Leah girl, Em has that stupid look on his face." I glared at Alex, "I do not!" But my cheeks hurt, a sure sign I'd been smiling. I could not have a crush on Leah Clearwater.

"Hey!" Leah flagged me down from her seat at the restaurant in Port Angeles we agreed to meet at. I always had to take my car because of Mia's car seat. I slid in across from Leah and put Mia's stroller in the lock position. Her smiling face peered up at me from her carrier. Leah came over to kiss Mia's cheek; it warmed my heart to see Leah interact with my daughter. "Hi princess…" she cooed. Mia smiled and giggled at her.

"Can I hold her?" I nodded and unbuckled Mia to hand over to Leah. Leah cradled her easily; maybe she was better with kids than I originally thought. Versus sitting back across from me, Leah slid in to sit down next to him. Her jean clad thigh was pressed against my bare one. I was wearing a black flowy skirt with burgundy thigh high socks and cream Mary Jane heels. I was wearing a burgundy off the shoulder sweater with a cream bow on the side. I didn't even want to begin to analyze why I dressed up to hang out with Leah. She asked if I wanted to grab lunch at this Italian restaurant in Port Angeles and then go paint pottery downtown. It sounded perfect and I was excited, I spent extra time creating a smoky eye with pale pink lipstick, and pulling my hair up in a twisted bun at the back of my head letting my bangs and tendrils fall around my face.

Leah looked flawless with dark wash skinny jeans; black knee high boots, and a dark green V-neck T-shirt. She was so effortlessly beautiful, clean makeup free face with red tinted lip gloss, and slightly curled hair. I was so attracted to her, it made me nervous. Leah played with Mia and it put a smile on my face. I could just imagine Leah adopting Mia, having Mia call Leah mommy when she was talking. I couldn't help picturing this perfect life with the woman beside me, I couldn't picture my life without her, like she was going to be this permanent fixture in my life. The waitress came up then and asked us what we'd like to drink.

"Mountain Dew…" Leah smiled over at me, I noticed she had dimples and her nose scrunched adorably when she smiled.

"Um...peach tea…" I stammered. The waitress smiled sweetly, "It's so nice to see lesbian couples have children. You guys make a beautiful family."

"Oh….we aren't….Mia isn't." I couldn't seem to finish my sentence because no matter how wrong her assumption was, it sounded so right. It sounded as if that was exactly what we were supposed to be.

"Thank you, these two are my world." Leah leaned over and kissed my cheek, sparks flew. I was shocked, my body went rigid. We were her world? When did that happen? At my still stature Leah baulked, "I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Are you gay?" I blurted out. I really didn't mean to, the words just flew out of my mouth. What the hell was wrong with me?

Leah laughed, "No, I'm not. I really don't know what came over me." I was both parts relieved and devastated. I was relieved because this meant that I didn't have to analyze my feelings, but I was devastated because I think I wanted more. I think I might want more than a friendship with Leah Clearwater. Well, I was screwed.

"Are you?" Was I? I didn't think so, I wasn't sure.

"I'm…not….sure." I answered uncertainly. My head was spinning, all these new feelings and emotions. I was a mother; I couldn't just jump into a relationship with no regards in how it would affect my daughter. Short term flings didn't work with me, I needed the real deal. I tried to relax under Leah's confused look. I took a deep breath. She was still staring at me and we were in this beautiful Italian restaurant, she looked at ease holding my daughter, we were sitting so close together and she was so beautiful. She was so beautiful and her face was so close to mine. Her breasts poked out against her thin T-shirt and they were perky, the perfect size to fill my hands. I'd only had sex once with Adam, but something told me sex with Leah would be so much better. She was so soft, curvy, and warm. Heat radiated from her in waves, it matched her smile. I was drawn in by everything about her. I leaned in, so close, and pressed my lips lightly against hers. Leah moaned and pressed her lips harder against mine. Our lips moved together synchronized and hungry. Her lips were hot and moist against my cold and chapped, I parted my mouth slightly and she darted her tongue to run it against my bottom lip.

Mia's cry startled us out of our lust bubble. Leah was breathing heavy and I shakily took Mia away from her and into my own arms. Leah grabbed the bottle out of Mia's bag wordlessly and handed it to me without prompting. It was like she was in tuned to Mia now. Already acting the part of a second mom.

After feeding Mia we ordered our own food, we ate in silence and Leah paid the bill. Leah slid out of the booth and took Mia to buckle her back in her carrier. She took her stroller and made her way out of the restaurant, me trailing behind. She didn't speak until she had settled Mia into my car, "I'm so sorry…" Leah looked at me from under her lashes, her big brown eyes full of remorse. She regretted kissing me?

"You don't have to apologize Leah, if you regret it that's fine. It won't happen again." I snapped at made my way to the driver's side door, I didn't mean to kiss her but it had sent sparks flying throughout my whole body. My body had a natural reaction to her and it was hard to think rationally when she was so close. I went on pure instinct and apparently it had backfired. That's the last time I listen to Taylor.

I felt her hot hands wrap around my waist, "You think I regret the kiss? The exact opposite Emerson, I'm only sorry because it was an inappropriate place. I wanted to kiss you, so much. But I wanted to kiss you in a place I could get lost in you. Because I've been lost in you since I first saw you." She wound her hand threw my hair, pulling it out of its bun and letting it tumble down my back. She crashed her lips into mine and pushed my body close to hers. I could feel her breasts pressed up against mine and I moaned at the contact. It was so easy to lose myself in her touch with no thought to where we were. Her hand tucked on my hair and my head tilted back, she ran her tongue across my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to let her tongue slip into my mouth. My car shielded us from the rest of the parking lot, though it was mostly deserted after the lunch rush. Mia was content and silent in the backseat, Leah took control of my mouth easily and her tongue explored my mouth. She was gentle with me and her hands here hot and callused. They felt amazing on my skin as she slid her hand to my lower back where my sweater had ridden up. She finally released my mouth to kiss me one, two, three, times lightly, the most innocent of pecks and leaned away to look into my eyes, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." She smiled brightly. I didn't know if I was gay, bisexual, straight or anything else. I did know that I was falling hard and fast for the girl in front of me and I prayed like hell that she'd catch me when I finished falling.


End file.
